Population, total in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population, total was 2.36 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.36 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
144th
of 218 countries
All-time high
2.36 million
in 2025
All-time low
736,500
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in Lesotho is 2.36 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Lesotho peaked at 2.36 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 736,500, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 736,500 | — |
| 1961 | 758,824 | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 781,814 | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 805,373 | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 829,437 | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 854,090 | +3.0% |
| 1966 | 881,870 | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 913,982 | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 948,105 | +3.7% |
| 1969 | 983,202 | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 1.02 million | +3.7% |
| 1971 | 1.06 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 1.09 million | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 1.13 million | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 1.17 million | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 1.21 million | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 1.25 million | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 1.29 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 1.33 million | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.37 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 1.41 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 1.45 million | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 1.49 million | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 1.53 million | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 1.58 million | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 1.62 million | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.67 million | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 1.70 million | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 1.74 million | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 1.78 million | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 1.81 million | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1.84 million | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 1.87 million | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.90 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 1.93 million | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.95 million | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.97 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 1.99 million | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 2.00 million | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.00 million | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 2.00 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.00 million | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.99 million | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.99 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.97 million | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 1.95 million | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.95 million | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.95 million | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.97 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.98 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 2.00 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 2.01 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 2.03 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 2.06 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.08 million | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 2.10 million | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 2.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 2.16 million | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 2.18 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 2.21 million | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 2.24 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 2.26 million | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 2.29 million | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 2.31 million | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 2.34 million | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 2.36 million | +1.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.36 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.35 million, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.36 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.96 million, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 849,320 | 736,500 | 983,202 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.19 million | 1.02 million | 1.37 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.60 million | 1.41 million | 1.78 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.93 million | 1.81 million | 2.00 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.98 million | 1.95 million | 2.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.10 million | 2.00 million | 2.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.30 million | 2.24 million | 2.36 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Lesotho?
- Population, total in Lesotho was 2.36 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.36 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 736,500 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for population, total?
- Lesotho ranks 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.